For the first time ever, a baby Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) was born in a captive environment at the Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW) facility in Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam.

The SVW team was surprised to notice the little scaly anteater strolling along behind his mother. The video, caught on camera in her enclosure, was released by SVW this week, leading up to World Pangolin Day on Feb 15.

The mother pangolin was able to conceal her little secret for five months, SVW said, by spending her days deeply burrowed in the ground. She typically ventured out only after midnight, making it tough to observe her or her son’s behavior.

Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) are found in Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, northern India, Nepal, northern Indochina, and through most of Taiwan, and southern China. Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters [CC BY 2.0].

Capturing a photo of a pangolin in the wild has also proven challenging for SVW. Over the past five years, the organization has set up hundreds of camera traps in the forests of Vietnam and has yet to secure a single photo. This lack of data on ideal pangolin habitat creates a big challenge for SVW, which aims to one day release pangolins safely back into the wild.

Chinese pangolins are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. They and seven other pangolin species are the most trafficked animals on Earth, with their flesh and scales highly prized in East Asia. All eight species are subject to a global commercial trade ban under CITES.

All of the Chinese pangolins at the SVW center were rescued from illegal trafficking, including the mother pangolin in the video, which was transferred to SVW by the police in Quang Nam province in March 2019.

A pangolin, meaning the “one who rolls up” in Malay, balls up in its characteristic defensive posture. Image courtesy of Priyan Perera.

This surprise baby represents a huge win for SVW, demonstrating that its captive environment is suitable for pangolins to have a healthy pregnancy, birth, and home in which to rear their young — all important steps for a successful breeding program.

“This shocking but happy news of the mother giving birth, and successfully raising her child in our sanctuary is a prerequisite and an initial success for future breeding and rehabilitation projects for this species,” SVW communications officer Dung Nguyen Thi told Mongabay.

“We hope that seeing Chinese pangolins free and happy in the wild will, someday, not be a dream.”

This article is republished from Mongabay under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here.